Showing posts with label Solutions to Common Blogger Problems.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Solutions to Common Blogger Problems.. Show all posts

Add Missing Embedded Comments Form to Blogger

Today I will show you how to fix your Blogger template if the embedded comments feature is missing or not working. I decided to write this article because I have noticed that the embed a comment below the post feature is often not working in many Blogger custom templates available for download. This is usually because many of these templates were released prior to Blogger enabling embedded comments.

If you have downloaded a custom template that has embed a comment missing then read on as I will show you how to insert the code for embed a comment form into your template. Inserting code into a blog template can be challenging for some but if you follow these instructions it is not beyond even virtual beginners.

1. Login to Blogger if you are not already logged in

2. Navigate to Settings > Comments. Under Comment Form Placementmake sure the Embedded below Post radio button is set. Save any changes you make.

In Blogger Settings Comments Set Comments to Embedded

3. Navigate to Layout > Edit HTML

4. I strongly recommend you back up your template by downloading it to your computer before proceeding

4. Check Expand Widget Templates

5. Use CTRL + F to bring up the Blogger Toolbar

6. Look for the following code block by entering <span class='paging-control-container'> into the find box on the toolbar. Note if you don't have this code look at the alternative option below #7 in this post
<b:if cond='data:post.commentPagingRequired'>
<span class='paging-control-container'>
<a expr:class='data:post.oldLinkClass' expr:href='data:post.oldestLinkUrl'>
<data:post.oldestLinkText/>
</a>
<a expr:class='data:post.oldLinkClass' expr:href='data:post.olderLinkUrl'>
<data:post.olderLinkText/>
</a>

<data:post.commentRangeText/>

<a expr:class='data:post.newLinkClass' expr:href='data:post.newerLinkUrl'>
<data:post.newerLinkText/>
</a>
<a expr:class='data:post.newLinkClass' expr:href='data:post.newestLinkUrl'>
<data:post.newestLinkText/>
</a>
</span>
</b:if>


7. Paste the following code into your template immediately after the code block above and before this line of code <div id='backlinks-container'>
<p class='comment-footer'>
<b:if cond='data:post.embedCommentForm'>
<b:if cond='data:post.allowNewComments'>
<b:include data='post' name='comment-form'/>
<b:else/>
<data:post.noNewCommentsText/>
</b:if>
<b:else/>
<b:if cond='data:post.allowComments'>
<a expr:href='data:post.addCommentUrl' expr:onclick='data:post.addCommentOnclick'><data:postCommentMsg/></a>
</b:if>
</b:if>
</p>
</b:if>

Enter the Embed Comments Form into Blogger Template
Alternative Option
If you don't have the code as mentioned in #6 you will likely have the following:
<p class='comment-footer'>
<b:if cond='data:post.allowComments'>
<a expr:href='data:post.addCommentUrl' expr:onclick='data:post.addCommentOnclick'><data:postCommentMsg/></a> </p>
</b:if>

In which case replace with this code:

<p class='comment-footer'>
<b:if cond='data:post.embedCommentForm'>
<b:if cond='data:post.allowNewComments'>
<b:include data='post' name='comment-form'/>
<b:else/>
<data:post.noNewCommentsText/>
</b:if>
<b:else/>
<b:if cond='data:post.allowComments'>
<a expr:href='data:post.addCommentUrl' expr:onclick='data:post.addCommentOnclick'><data:postCommentMsg/></a>
</b:if>
</b:if>
</p>
</b:if>

8. Click on the Save Template button to save your template changes

9. Click on the View Blog link and test your embed comment feature by clicking on the number of comments link found at the bottom of each post. Notice that the post will now be displayed along with the embed a comment form below the post



Troubleshooting
As there are many variations amongst templates neither of these options may work in which case try this solution from Blogger Buster:
Find: <b:include data='post' name='comments' />

Immediately below this line add the following line:
<b:include data='post' name='comment-form'/>


In this tutorial I have shown you how to add the embed comments form into your custom Blogger template if it is missing so that visitors can comment easily.
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Hide Remove Navbar from a Blogger Blog

The more professional you want your site to look the more you are likely to want to remove the navbar from showing above the header of your Blogger Blogspot blog. Removing or actually hiding the navbar is very easy to do as it only requires a small tweak to your template. This tutorial is suitable for bloggers at all levels but is written with new bloggers and the beginner blogger in mind and provides step by step instructions to guide you through the process of hiding the navbar from your Blogger blog.

How Useful is the Navbar of a Blogger Blog?
Blogger provides the facility to search your blog by entering keywords or a search phrase into the Search Blog box. This is a useful feature and if you remove the Blogger navbar you will lose the search facility from your blog. If you are using a custom template with a search box already built in this won't be a problem but if you are using one of the Blogger templates deleting the navbar will leave your blog without a search function. Another useful feature of the navbar is the follow button which encourages bloggers to start following your blog.

The random blog feature is not particularly useful unless you have a lot of time on your hands and just feel like a browse. For most serious bloggers looking to create a professional look and feel to their blog the navbar can be a distraction. And let's face it you've worked hard enough getting the traffic to your site right? without encouraging them to leave it too quickly.

Blogger Navbar
The other main feature of the navbar is the ability to navigate back to your layout menu or posts quickly no matter where you are in your blog when signed in. Personally I like this feature and use it a lot. Its particularly good if you are on a page other than your homepage and want to quickly go to another of your blogs as you can get there in 2 clicks. The same goes if you want to visit some other area of your Google account such as Google Analytics or Google Webmaster Tools. You can get there in 2 clicks too when the navbar is enabled.
UPDATE October 10, 2009: Blogger have now created another reason to think twice before you remove the Blogger Navbar as they have recently added a Share button so that readers can quickly add your blog to their Twitter, Facebook and Google Reader accounts. The facility to Email your posts is also available when using the Blogger Share button from an individual post page.

To navigate with the navbar disabled you simply have to double click the back button in your browser to navigate away from the home page of your blog. If you are in another part of your blog then it can be annoying not to have the navbar functionality. The way I have gotten around it is to usually disable the navbar and click on blogger.com in the google search box on the toolbar of my browser. Provided I am signed in to Blogger this will take me straight to the dashboard.

Overall my view is that what you lose on convenience you gain on professionalism. Losing the navbar is a sacrifice but it is a small price to pay for a much improved look to your blog.


How to Get Rid of the Navbar on your Blogger Blog

1. Login to Blogger and navigate to Layout > Edit HTML

2. Find the Template Credit Section

3. Insert the following code directly below the template credit section. Select the code and right click to copy to the clipboard of your computer. Right click to paste into your template:

#navbar {
height: 0px;
visibility: hidden;
display: none;
}

Edit Template to Disable Blogger Navbar

4. Click on the Save Template button

5. Click on View Blog to view you blog without the navbar

Blog Know How with Navbar disabled

Troubleshooting
If you later decide that you are not happy with the missing navbar all you need do to reinstate it is to remove the code you inserted. This works as the code you inserted actually only masks the navbar rather than deletes it.

In this tutorial you have learned about some of the advantages and disadvantages of the Blogger navbar and how to hide, disable, remove or delete the navbar in order to promote a more professional looking blog.
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Solution to Missing Add a Gadget Feature in Blogger

If you are experiencing problems with the Add a Gadget feature not showing up in the Layout Screen of your Blogger Blogspot blog then read on as I have found the solution to this annoying problem.

The other day I discovered to my horror I had lost the option to Add a Gadget in the layout screen of all my blogs in Blogger. Typically it couldn't have happened at a worse time as I had just planned to sit down to write some new posts. I looked in the Blogger help section for the solution but could find no reference to the problem. I eventually found the answer, after about 15 minutes, buried in the Blogger Help Group section. I thought I would therefore post a short tip for anyone out there looking for a quick answer to the loss of the Add a Gadget function from the Layout Screen. 

Clear Your Browser's Cache 
When the Add a Gadget feature is missing from you Layout screenand you have tried refreshing it probably means you need to clear the cache of your browser. In Internet Explorer 6 you would go to theTools menu and choose Internet Options from the drop down menu. In the dialog box that appears select the General tab and then click on the Delete Files from the Temporary Internet Files Section (middle). Once done close the dialog box and refresh the Layout Screen in Blogger. With any luck you will now be able to see the Add a Gadget option once again. For other browsers follow the directions in the browser's help section on clearing the cache or check out Bloggers Help Article about clearing cache

Thanks to the Blog Doctor for this solution. You really saved the day! 

A short tip on how to fix the problem of add a gadget missing from the layout screen in Blogger.
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Show Date Above Blogger Post Title

Sometimes you may download a Blogger Blogspot template which does not display the date header above the post title. I recently struck a free Blogger template like this and it took some time to find the right part of the template to fix the date. Plus the answer was not as far as I could tell listed in Blogger help. So to help anyone desperately struggling to find the solution to this problem I have decided to share this information in this article.


To Display the Date Header Above Post Title

1. Log in to Blogger

2. Go to Layout > Edit HTML

3. Back up your template before attempting any changes

4. Type the following into the search box (CTRL + F) to find the block of code beginning with this line:
<data:adStart/>

5. Paste the following lines of code 

<b:if cond='data:post.dateHeader'>
<h2 class='date-header'><data:post.dateHeader/></h2>
</b:if>

into the code block as shown here:

<data:adStart/>
<b:loop values='data:posts' var='post'>
<b:if cond='data:post.dateHeader'>
<h2 class='date-header'><data:post.dateHeader/></h2>
</b:if>

<b:include data='post' name='post'/>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'>
<b:include data='post' name='comments'/>
</b:if>
<b:if cond='data:post.includeAd'>
<data:adEnd/>
<data:adCode/>
<data:adStart/>
</b:if>
<b:if cond='data:post.trackLatency'>
<data:post.latencyJs/>
</b:if>
</b:loop>
<data:adEnd/>
</div>

7. Click the Save Template button

8. View Blog to see the date above the header


Today's Blogger Blogspot tip has shown you how to add the date above the post title on a Blogger Blogspot blog. The date above the post is often missing among slightly older Blogger templates but thankfully the fix is fairly easy.
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How To Delete a Blogger Blogspot Blog

I notice I get a lot of traffic to my blog from Blogger Blogspot webmasters searching for tutorials on how to delete their blog so this has prompted me to write this post about deleting a Blogger blog. As most of us are trying to get our blogs up and running this post may not be very useful for you right now however you may have occasion in the future to want to delete a blog so read on in case the day comes when you need to know what you do.

Why Might I Want to Delete a Blogger Blogspot Blog?
There a variety of reasons why you might decide to delete your blog. Here are some common ones:
You have set up a test blog and have now finished with it

You are unhappy with the name you have chosen for your blog and wish to change it. Please note you can change the name of your Blogger blogspot.com subdomain for another subdomain name provided the address is available on Blogger. Or you can change to a custom .com domain name and have Blogger redirect your blog traffic to your new address. You may want to consider these options first before proceeding with deletion)

You have tried blogging and it is not for you and you want to get rid of your blog all together

How to Delete a Blogger Blogspot Blog
1. Login to Blogger if you are not already logged in

2. From the Dashboard select the blog you wish to delete. Make sure you are in the right place if you have more than one blog

3. Navigate to Settings > Basic

4. If you think you may want to come back to your blog at a later date you can use the export tool to export your blog before you delete it. To export your blog click on Export Blog in the Blog Tools menu. If you aren't interested in exporting a copy of your blog to your home computer skip this step

blogger Basic Settings Configuration - Eport Blog - Delete Blog
5. Under the first heading Blog Tools click on the Delete Blog link

6. You will be taken to the Delete Blog screen in Blogger. Check again you have the right blog displayed by checking the name which should appear just above the row of menu tabs. 

7. A warning message like the one pictured below will be displaying:

How to Delete a Blogger Blog

8. If you wish to proceed with the deletion then click on the Delete This Blog button

9. You will now be returned to the Dashboard. Notice that your blog is no longer displayed in the list of blogs. If you wish to view your deleted blog you can click on the Show All link at the bottom of theManage Blogs list in the Dashboard

10. You will now be able to see your deleted blog including details of its deletion date. Follow the link provided to undelete this blog. Blogger allows you 90 days grace.

In this tutorial we have covered some basic reasons why you might want to delete a blog and the steps involved in actually deleting a Blogger Blogspot blog.


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How to Fix Missing Quick Edit Pencil in Blogger Blogspot

Is your custom Blogger template missing its quick edit pencil at the bottom of your Blogger posts (Blogspot posts)? Don't worry. In this Blogger tutorial I discuss how to show a quick edit pencil icon beneath Blogger posts if it is missing. This is a common Blogger problem among custom Blogger templates but fortunately it only takes a couple of minutes to fix.

This Blogger tutorial follows on from my previous Blogspot tutorial about fixing missing Blogger icons. Check out how to show quick edit gadget wrench in Blogger (Blogspot) for help with this issue.

In my previous Blogger tutorials I have also discussed how to fix many other common Blogger problems eg how to fix a missing embedded comment form in Blogger. Take a look at all my Blogger tutorials on how to fix common Blogger problems (Blogspot problems) here

Fix Missing Quick Edit Pencil Blogger Blogspot
The quick edit pencil is a nice Blogger feature that you would not want to be without. A click on this time saving Blogger icon gives you direct access to your Blogger posts without having to go through "Edit Posts"

So if the free custom Blogger template you downloaded from the internet has no quick edit pencil displaying under your Blogger posts when viewing the actual published post then it can be fixed by taking the following the steps below:
  1. Login to Blogger
  2. Go to your Design > Page Elements
  3. Click on the Blog Posts edit button located in the bottom right hand corner of the widget

  4. A Configure Blog Posts window will pop up displaying a number of different features that can be turned on and off on your blog posts.
  5. Make sure that Show Quick Edit is checked. Tick the box and save if Show Quick Edit is not already checked

  6. Now navigate to an actual published post and check whether the quick edit pencil is now displaying in or around the footer of your blog post. Remember that you must be logged into Blogger to see the quick edit pencil - it is not displayed to your visitors

    If the pencil is there then that is the end of this Blogger tutorial. The pencil just needed to be enabled. So thank you for joining me today and if you have any other issues with Blogger be sure to check out my how to fix common problems in Blogger tutorials or take a look at the list of all the Blog Know How Blogger tutorials

    If the Blogger quick edit pencil is still missing it means that some important code has been omitted from your Blogger template and it will need to be added to get the quick edit pencil to show up
  7. Go to Design > Edit HTML
  8. Back up your template
  9. Check the Expand Widget Templates box by placing a tick in it
  10. Find the following line of code by holding down the CTRL key and F at the same time:
    <b:includable id='postQuickEdit' var='post'>

  11. Check whether the following code is under it:
    <span class='post-icons'>
    <!-- email post links -->
    <b:if cond='data:post.emailPostUrl'>
    <span class='item-action'>
    <a expr:href='data:post.emailPostUrl' expr:title='data:top.emailPostMsg'>
    <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='13' src='http://img1.blogblog.com/img/icon18_email.gif' width='18'/>
    </a>
    </span>
    </b:if>

    <!-- quickedit pencil -->
    <b:include data='post' name='postQuickEdit'/>
    </span> </div>

  12. If part or all of the code is missing copy and paste it above :
    <!-- quickedit pencil -->
    <b:include data='post' name='postQuickEdit'/>

  13. Save changes to your Blogger template
  14. Go to an individual published post page and see your new quick edit pencil displayed under your Blogger post


Tips and Troubleshooting
If you want to change the Blogger quick pencil icon you can by changing the image. Simply replace the image as depicted in red with the URL address of your own image. If your image is a different size you may have to change the width and height as shown in blue for the image to display correctly
<span class='post-icons'>
<!-- email post links -->
<b:if cond='data:post.emailPostUrl'>
<span class='item-action'>
<a expr:href='data:post.emailPostUrl' expr:title='data:top.emailPostMsg'>
<img alt='' class='icon-action' height='13' src='http://img1.blogblog.com/img/icon18_email.gif' width='18'/>
</a>
</span>
</b:if>

<!-- quickedit pencil -->
<b:include data='post' name='postQuickEdit'/>
</span> </div>



In this Blogger tutorial (Blogspot tutorial) I have shown you how to fix a missing Blogger quick edit pencil that is not showing. I have demonstrated how to enable the quick edit pencil in Blogger via Page Elements and I have provided you with the missing code in the event that the quick edit pencil code is missing from your custom Blogger template.

Please let me know if this tutorial has been useful for you by leaving your comments and opinions below.
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How to Add Missing Quick Edit Wrench to Blogger

In this Blogger tutorial (Blogspot tutorial) I show you how to add a quick edit wrench to Blogger if it is missing from a Blogger gadget. Check here to find a solution for a missing quick edit pencil not showing in Blogger

The quick edit feature allows you to edit a Blogger gadget directly from the blog itself rather than having to go through the Design > Page Elements screens and then finding the actual widget itself before you can edit it.

Heaps of times I have downloaded custom Blogger templates only to find that there are lots of omissions compared to a default Blogger template. If you are using a custom Blogger template with the quick edit feature missing here is a step by step guide to insert the missing quick edit feature into your Blogger template

The quick edit can be missing from anywhere in your Blogger template. I have chosen to use the sidebar for this tutorial but the solution works wherever the quick edit feature has been removed or never inserted in the first place.

Tutorial Difficulty rating: Easy
Time: Less than 5 minutes
Suitable for all levels of Blogger expertise

How to Add the Quick Edit Wrench to a Blogger Gadget
  1. Login to Blogger
  2. Go to Design > Edit HTML
  3. Check the Expand Widget Templates box
  4. Using CTRL + F buttons together bring up the search box
  5. Enter the following search term
    </b:includable>

  6. Scroll through your Blogger template. You will see that every instance of </b:includable> is highlighted in yellow.
  7. Once you come to the sidebar widgets which is the most likely place for the quick edit to be missing from look for something like the following (this will vary from template to template). This is the start of the first sidebar if you had a template with a two column sidebar

    <b:section class='sidebar' id='sidebar1' preferred='yes'>
  8. Now look at the picture below. You can see that this is the code for a Javascript/HTML widget as shown in red

  9. Just identify the widget that has the missing quick edit feature and add the following line of code immediately before the </b:includable>
    <b:include name='quickedit'/>


  10. Use the Preview button to check your changes before committing to them
  11. Don't forget to click on Save Template

In this Blogger tutorial (Blogspot tutorial) you have learned how to fix a missing quick edit button often missing from custom Blogger templates. No matter where the quick edit button has been omitted (sidebar, footer, header etc) it can be added in to a Blogger template very easily so that a Blogger gadget can be edited without having to go through the Blogger design screen.
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